By Laura Hirahara
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso– Burkina Faso’s president, Blaise Campaore, dissolved the government on Friday following an uprising by soldiers in the capital city of Ouagadougou and the presidential compound.  The soldiers, frustrated by the president’s refusal to pay them wages and promised bonuses, entered the compound on Thursday night, firing guns and rioting until the pre-dawn hours of Friday.  The uprising spread to the nearby barracks and then into the city.  Soldiers began speeding through the city streets in military vehicles and looting stores.  For several hours Thursday night, Campaore fled to his hometown approximately 30 km away, returning Friday.  In a radio address on Friday, Campaore announced he had fired his top military and personal guard commanders.  Part of the announcement read, “The secretary generals of ministerial departments will ensure the execution of current business.”

As the soldiers poured into the city they began stealing from shops in the capital, accosting merchants.  The soldiers also raided at least one radio station, injuring the staff and forcing it off the air.  One taxi driver reported being dragged from his car by soldiers who then drove away in his cab.  Many businesses, including gas stations and banks, have remained closed since the violence broke out Thursday night.  One witness, Pierre Tapsoba, who lives in a western neighborhood of Ouagadougou, said “I was going in the direction of the Lamizana [military] camp when I heard the gunfire. I saw people rushing back towards me, so I turned around and went back home. . . .I haven’t been out since. It’s bad.”  In an apparent effort to deter the soldiers, some shop owners set fire to busses.  As the looting continued Thursday, local merchants felt like the government had abandoned them.  Said one business association leader, Seydou Zangre, “We thought they [the government] were going to take measures for our security, but they did nothing.”

In addition to the dissolution, Campaore effected a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on Saturday and France, the former colonial ruler of Burkina Faso, warned travelers to avoid the country.  This latest clash follows months of turmoil in the country.  In February, students protested against the government after a student in military custody died.  During the protests, several buildings were set on fire and six students died.  On March 22, soldiers led an attack in response to several soldiers who were sentenced to prison terms for rape, freeing some soldiers from jail.

The country has also faced pressure from its neighbors, where unrest has driven up the prices of pantry staples in Burkina Faso.  The violence in Côte d’Ivoire has disrupted supply lines Burkina Faso in addition to Niger and Mali.  This means the prices of several processed foods, such as sugar, vegetable oil and dried milk, have risen dramatically in the land-locked country.  This prompted a march by tens of thousands of protesters in the capital last week against the increasing cost of living.

In the radio address Friday that dissolved the government, Campaore said, “The government reassures the people that steps are being taken right now to resolve this situation and expresses its regret and compassion for all those who have suffered harm.”  Despite these reassurances, many believe Campaore is losing power and that this may signal the end of his 23 year reign as president.  Addressing the resent uprising in Burkina Faso, David Zounmenou, a researcher focusing on conflict prevention at the South African based Institute for Security Studies, said, “It may be the end of Blaise Compaore’s rule. . .The youth are inspired by what is happening in North Africa and you add to this the unhappiness within the army. He might have to think about a transition.”

For more information, please see;

Bloomberg– Burkina Faso President Dissolves Government as Army Rampages– 16 April, 2011

Reuters Africa– Burkina Faso Traders Riot Over Army Looting– 16 April, 2011

The Independent– Soldiers Go on Rampage Over Pay in Burkina Faso– 16 April, 2011

Aljazeera– Burkina Faso’s President Dissolves Government– 15 April, 2011

BBC– Burkina Faso’s Blaise Campaore Sacks His Government– 15 April, 2011

By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe – President Robert Mugabe said Thursday that the country will forge ahead with the takeover of foreign-owned firms, a plan laid out in a 2008 law.

During a speech Thursday at the burial of the deputy director of Zimbabwe’s intelligence organization, Mugabe addressed mourners, telling them, “We proceed with our indigenization and empowerment policy, and programs must be worked out to ensure that our resources are managed by us, they are controlled and exploited by us, and that they benefit the majority of our people.”

The Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Bill was signed into law in 2008, and permits local business owners to take fifty-one percent shareholder control of foreign mining companies that have a net asset value of one million dollars or more.

The Zimbabwe government defended the bill as a way of addressing past racial and historical imbalances and allowing local Zimbabweans to benefit from the country’s rich mineral resources.

However, upon its passage, the bill was met with heavy criticism. Opponents have argued that the law has simply been a way for Mugabe to buy and curry support among his party, ZANU-PF.

Mugabe’s opposition party, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has opposed the law. However, he has not been so vocal about his opposition, which some critics have attributed to his not wanting to be labeled as “pro-white” or “pro-West.”

Last month, Mugabe took the initial steps towards enforcing the bill when he gave foreign mining companies forty-five days to transfer the majority stakes to local investors.

Mugabe’s goal is to take power away from the European and American corporations that dominate Zimbabwe’s economy. He has accused the foreign-owned companies of aligning with the West in an effort to remove him from power. “If our economy is controlled by outsiders, similarly the politics will be controlled by outsiders,” Mugabe said.

Western countries imposed sanctions on Mugabe and ZANU-PF in 2002 on charges of human rights abuses and rigged elections. As recently as 2010, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that ZANU-PF continued to engage in human rights abuses, and that there had been no meaningful progress in instituting human rights reforms. HRW has uncovered rampant abuses by Zimbabwe’s armed forces, including forced labor, child labor, killings, beatings, smuggling and corruption.

Mugabe, who is 87 and has run the country since 1980, does not appear to be slowing down. “We must demonstrate that we are ready to defend our country and sacrifice our lives. The enemy will try by all means to destroy us, but if we are united, we are strong,” he said. The MDC has warned that upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections could bring about a “bloodbath” in Zimbabwe.

For more information, please see:

ZimOnline – Firm takeovers to go ahead: Mugabe – 15 April 2011

CNN – Government takeover of companies in Zimbabwe to proceed, Mugabe says – 14 April 2011

Zimbabwe Mail – Mugabe says to proceed with foreign firm takeovers – April 14, 2011

CNN – Is ‘indigenization’ bad for business? – 7 April 2011

Zimbabwe Guardian – Shape up or ship out, Mugabe warns companies – 28 March 2011

Human Rights Watch – EU: Keep Sanctions on Mugabe’s Inner Circle – 29 January 2010